London Knights forward Mitchell Marner said he believes anything's possible if you're willing to put in the work.

Even for a 5-foot-11, 155-pound right-shot center who might mistakenly be overlooked at the 2015 NHL Draft because of his size.

"The NHL right now is at a point where size doesn't matter; it's all about the skill and passion," Marner said. "I think if you go out there and show that you're willing to go every shift, willing to prove a point and prove that you can hold your own, that skills are more important than the size."

Marner has not only made a believer out of a lot of scouts, but a former teammate now starring in the NHL.

Former NHL defenseman Paul Reinhart has a pretty good idea what it takes to reach the next level.

He spent 11 seasons in the League with the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks and is the father of three successful hockey-playing sons: Max, Griffin and Sam.

Max was a third-round pick (No. 64) of the Flames in 2010 and Griffin was selected No. 4 by the New York Islanders in 2012. Sam's turn will come at the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Nashville Predators rookie defenseman Seth Jones was one of four Portland Winterhawks players selected at the 2013 NHL Draft at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The Winterhawks and Kelowna Rockets actually shared the Western Hockey League lead for having the most players drafted last June with four. Since 1969, Portland is the WHL's all-time draft leader with 126 players selected at the draft.

At the 2013 draft, the WHL saw 33 players selected, eight of whom were taken in the first round. This year, eight of the top 30 North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings are from the WHL, and 13 of the 40 players invited to the BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Calgary on Jan. 15 were also from the league.

It is traditionally considered the league of defensemen, but this year two forwards were listed among the top four on NHL Central Scouting's midterm list: No. 2 Leon Draisaitl of the Prince Albert Raiders and No. 4 Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice. Each was named a First Team All-Star of the WHL's Eastern Conference.

The selection of right wing Michael McCarron of the United States Under-18 National Team Development Program in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft marked the ninth straight year at least one player from the United States Hockey League was among the top 30 picks.

As it turned out, 32 players competing in the USHL in 2012-13 were chosen last June, the most players selected from the league in one year. There's no question the USHL has been churning out NHL-caliber athletes in recent years; a total of 94 USHL alumni competed in the League in 2012-13. More than 300 players on USHL rosters last season committed to NCAA Division I schools and more than 200 are currently under NHL contract.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League was undoubtedly the big winner at the 2013 NHL Draft, when a modern draft-record 31 players from the league were chosen over seven rounds.

It marked the highest total since 2003, when 38 players were selected over nine rounds, including No. 1 pick Marc-Andre Fleury of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The prospect pool for the 2014 draft at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia might not be as deep as it was nine months ago, when two of the six QMJHL players picked in the first round were among the top three choices -- No. 1 Nathan MacKinnon and No. 3 Jonathan Drouin. Still, there are some game-breakers having very productive seasons.

This week, Prospector Files continues its First Team draft-eligible pick six series at each position from the four major junior hockey leagues and one All European Team. The Ontario Hockey League (www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=707810) was featured last week and the QMJHL gains the spotlight today.

A record 22 players representing the Canadian Hockey League were selected in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Of the 22 players, eight were from the Ontario Hockey League, including Sean Monahan of the Ottawa 67's by the Calgary Flames with the sixth pick. It wouldn't be too surprising to see a dramatic increase in first-round picks from the OHL this year when the draft takes place at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on June 27.

Over the next five weeks, Prospector Files will offer a First Team draft-eligible pick six at each position from the four major junior hockey leagues and one All European Team, beginning this week with the talent-laden OHL.

Sarnia Sting defenseman Anthony DeAngelo realizes he made a mistake at a time when emotions were high. Now he's determined to learn from it and help his team close out the season on a positive note.

The offensive-minded DeAngelo, No. 10 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of the top North American skaters for the 2014 NHL Draft, was suspended eight games by the Ontario Hockey League earlier this month for violation of the league's harassment and abuse/diversity policy.

He was eligible to return to the lineup Saturday and had two goals, one assist and a plus-3 rating to help the Sting snap an 11-game losing streak with a 6-1 victory against the Ottawa 67's at RBC Centre in Sarnia.

It's pretty safe to assume the future of USA Hockey will remain in good standing no matter where the U.S. Olympic men's team finishes at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The American stars leading the way for the U.S. overseas have been laying the groundwork for the teenagers currently working their way up the ladder with aspirations of one day donning a red, white and blue jersey at the Olympics. U.S. National Team Development Program under-18 team coach Danton Cole can sense the impact each Olympic event has had on players going through the program.

"I watch a lot of hockey with my two daughters and there's always two or three guys on almost every NHL team who have come through the program; I always point out if I coached a player," Cole told NHL.com. "The first question asked when we heard the players announced to the Olympic team was, 'Dad, did you coach any of them?' I told them that there weren't any guys I coached on this year's team but that there may be a couple 1994 birth years [Seth Jones, Jacob Trouba] in the mix at the next Olympics if NHL guys are still in it.

Forward Nicholas Ritchie of the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League, No. 7 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm list of the top draft-eligible North American skaters, had a night to remember last week at K-Rock Centre in Kingston.

Ritchie tied a franchise record with five goals in a 7-6 shootout loss to the Kingston Frontenacs on Feb. 7. He also added an assist to finish the game with a career-high six points, scoring from every possible angle while exhibiting the power, energy and scoring touch that NHL scouts crave.

The five-goal output tied Bill Gardner (November 1979) and Doug Evans (October 1983) in the franchise record book. Additionally, he's the first to score five goals in an OHL game since his older brother Brett Ritchie, a 2011 Dallas Stars draft pick, scored five playing for the Niagara IceDogs on Nov. 4, 2012.

He's only 17 but he can see the ice so well and he moves the puck and goes to the open ice all the time, so I just think he's a player that is ready to play in the NHL. I'm really looking forward to coaching someone like this.

— U.S. National Junior Team coach Ron Wilson on Auston Matthews, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2016 NHL Draft